Making a Tulle Poof

by Andrea on May 12, 2011

Emily was strolling through Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood the other day, when she came across this window display and texted it to me.

Tulle Poofs! (At least that’s what I started calling them, much to Brian’s confusion.) Oooo! I want them. I worked with tulle at Christmas when I made a tutu for Pip. I couldn’t wait to get my hands back on tulle, and I had just found my answer.

I was going to make tulle poofs. Now I just had to decide how. Using the classic yarn pompom technique, I used cardboard, ribbon, and tulle. I picked up a spool of tulle, 6 inches wide and 25 feet long, at my local Jo-Ann Fabrics. They don’t have much of a color selection, but the pink would work just fine for my purposes. I also picked up some white satin ribbon, and I was set.

I cut a cardboard ring from a cereal box. The outer ring is 9.5 inches in diameter, and the inner circle is 3.5 inches in diameter. Then I started wrapping the tulle around the ring. I decided to go around twice for good measure.

Next, I threaded the white satin through the inside circle of the tulle. While laying it flat on a table in order to keep the tulle for coming loose, I cut the outside circle of tulle.

I cinched the ribbon up tightly and tied a knot at the base.

I pulled the tulle from the cardboard, and voilà, I had my tulle poof.

For the record, I also made a second poof by only going once around the ring. It still makes a lovely, albeit less full poof. Both finished poofs were approximately 8 inches in diameter. Depending on how many you need to make for decoration needs, either option would work. If feasible, the double poof is worth the extra tulle. I can think of so many ways to add poofs to your life: make mini poofs and create a mobile for a nursery, or string several together for a garland, or add a few to a tablescape in coordinating colors, or add a mini one to a little girl’s headband, or place a larger one among the decorative pillows on your bed. I really could keep going. How would you use them?